Catch on Fire
by Moment For Life
Summary: The way he looked at her, through her skin, into the depths of her very soul was both unnerving and almost also freeing. Who else, with eyes so beautiful, could see her the way he did?


Catch on Fire.

The way he looked at her, through her skin, into the depths of her very soul was both unnerving and almost also freeing. Who else, with eyes so beautiful, could see her the way he did? The way his pupils moved, the width narrowed and within the endless blue, she saw actual adoration.

The first glance had been a moment between two strangers; curiosity, wonder, beauty. A few fluttery seconds in which everything else seemed to disappear and they the only thing within her line of vision was him. Those eyes. They stared intently, as though she was some ghostly being before him when in fact, she was a mere mortal. A miserable, young woman engaged to a man she didn't love. She was belittled, controlled, violated and it was believed that showing her off like prized cattle was the only way to handle such a ''fragile'' person. Perhaps, he had seen it then, the sheer agony which was her daily life. His stare was rude, unmoving and possibly should have frightened her but it didn't, it had instead ignited some small fire inside and a thousand butterflies had scattered across her stomach. Their gaze was broken fast, as she had been dragged back to a miserable lunch but her head had remained in the clouds for the rest of the day.

He had saved her, ensured she was all right when he shouldn't have even so much as cared. He listened intently, never dismissing her thoughts or even her deepest dreams. When she saw how he watched her, she couldn't help but watch him too. The way he moved, the mannerisms, the animations of his face and the tone of his speech. He fascinated her deeply, resonating far more than a stranger should. They had a strange kinship between them. His stories moved her and he seemed to encourage anything which she had ever dreamed of doing.

Each time they met, the nerves would approach, the butterflies raced, keener to break flight in her stomach. Her hands had a shudder, her lips parted dryly and the need to see that face again felt stronger each time they were apart.

Dinner in the first-class dining room should have been as dull as the dishwater the plates were washed in. As soon as she had set eyes on him from atop the Grand Staircase, it was as though she had forgotten how to breathe. He was beautifully handsome. How could one not have seen with such clarity before? Perhaps, because his hair was away from his eyes, clearing his lovely face. She saw him, she felt, fully for the first time right there as he had taken her hand and pressed his lips to the top of her knuckles. Her hand was gloved, thankfully, or she would have weakened more so. It was then, she witnessed the appreciation for the first time. She saw how he looked at her, as though she was the loveliest thing he had seen. Across a crowded table, they exchanged glances, whilst she played the enchanting damsel and he, the sought-after hero. His talk at the table had the others engrossed and the usual debates seemed to disappear. Talks of travel, art and culture had been a welcome change to the usual boring chit chat. Those present seemed to marvel at his stories and indulged in a laugh or two. As he had left, the world seemed to have grown cold once more, until a note thrust in her hand had asked her to join him once more, to a dance in the third-class general area, with his ''crowd.''

He came alive there. He was at ease. He shone so brightly. She could have watched him dance all evening and been the happiest she had ever felt, until he had pulled her up to dance with him. She was torn. A well brought up girl should step away from this situation; it was dangerous but yet, as she glanced up to his eyes, as he took his hand in hers, she found she trusted him more than anyone before. She came alive, too. Dancing, singing, drinking, giggling, all until time was no longer an issue and the only thing, she felt was sheer and utter freedom.

She had sensed the disappointment within him when she had to leave his world to return to her own. She had belonged there, even just for a short period of time. She had tasted freedom and had developed a liking for it. He had shown her that. The way of life was one which she had dreamt of, yet not quite fully grasped could indeed exist until the moment of experience.

The walk back to the First-class area had caused her stomach to sink lower and lower. Why was she looking for an excuse to stay outside on decks with a stranger in temperatures which must have been around freezing? She felt his eyes upon her as they edged closer together. It was a shooting star, dashing across the black sky which took her attention away from their conversation, when she turned to him, he had been a mere inch from her face. She could have stayed there for the duration of the night; so close that she could smell the spiced cologne as the chilly wind carried the scent across her face. She sensed his longing, knowing that he also could sense hers. That was when she had entered dangerous territory and when all her instincts had told her to act on the one thing which she wanted to do; reality set in and pinched her back. She had left him there, alone on decks. She knew just how he had wanted her to stay. She had ignored his calls after her and returning to her world had been the hardest struggle of all.

How could one have slept soundly after such an evening? The next morning at breakfast was met with an icy reception. Harsh, dark eyes had seemed to have seen through her own. She felt vulnerable that morning; almost as though something had been stripped away from her. She had been spied on, followed and watched like a predator with his prey. A caged animal. The flames in her throat failed to be fanned, she should have been afraid of Cal that morning but she wasn't. Tipping over the breakfast table in a rage hadn't dimmed her frustration and neither did a conversation with her Mother whilst preparing for church. Each person in her life seemed to want and need to keep her so guarded away from the rest of the world. Each person needed her for something. Cal needed a young, pretty and broad hipped wife to carry his much-needed heirs, her Mother needed her to marry Cal to save the family name and clear her father's debts. What did she need? The young woman with so much weight upon her shoulders. Apparently, none of that mattered for she was simply expected to shut up and sit down.

Without Jack's presence, the world seemed to be black and white once more. Ushered from her stateroom, to a church service, to a tour of the decks. One's mind was to be kept busy. Lunch would follow that and then the tour would resume. It was a strategic list of unimportant things to do, boring conversations and endless fake smiles...she was exhausted, until the colour seemed to return, just a little.

Jack had found her, he pulled her into the gymnasium out of sight of anyone within a few seconds. His eyes were sparkling, as he had rounded in on her, removing his hat. Her nerves had returned. She had spent all morning busying herself to remove his image from her mind and she shouldn't have bothered. They had been just this close the night before. It unsettled her.

He began to speak...wonderful things. Of her fire, of things he shouldn't know about her and yet knew so well. She shunned him, the unspoken offer which he had extended to her and when he had taken the liberty to get just a little closer to her, so that his breath was upon her lips; she had gone. Ran from his grip and back to her own world just as she had last night. It was out of fear. Not of fear of her family but of fear of what would possibly happen if his lips did touch hers. Would they ever stop?

So, her life had continued; lunch with her Mother and then another tour of the library. Tea followed. All the while, Rose's mind was there, with him.

''_It's not up to you to save me, Jack.''_

''_You're right, only you can do that.'' _

He was offering her the help, the means to get out. To be as free as she wanted to be and she had run away once more. What was she so afraid of, aside from how he made her feel? That was it, wasn't it? Within seconds, she had tipped her tea into her lap and was searching the third-class decks for any sign of Jack.

_At the bow, _Tommy had told her, he had needed to think. That was where she had found him; surrounded by the beauty of the wonderful sunset behind him. That was the moment, that all fear went, she let go as her soul caught on fire. He led her to the bow, with fire in his own eyes and his hands in hers. His hands at her waist as her own eyes were closed, relying solely on his navigation and a trust she had never had before. The wind cooled her face, awakening all of her senses. It was only when her eyes opened, that she truly felt herself soar.

She was flying. Above the ocean. Almost in the sky. It was like a dream. Although, nothing could prepare her for the moment her lips met his. It was hesitant, slow, trembling. She moved without an idea of what to do and yet, soon, she felt his tongue soothe away any remainder of the fear which may have lingered. He held her tightly, ensuring that she didn't fall, filling her with confidence and freedom.

She was becoming a woman, slowly.

Soon, she stripped away every part of her life which she wanted to leave behind until she was naked, alone in her stateroom bedroom with a pounding heart. He was to see her stood before him; exposed in the most intimate way. His eyes had queried perhaps even her sanity when she had requested him to draw her in such a way and yet he had obliged to do so. She needed to see how he saw her. As her kimono had parted, his eyes had roamed over her body, she felt the way he breathed change, saw the twitch of his hands, the adoration in his eyes.

The same adoration which she felt now, as she laid beneath him, their naked torsos pressed together in a twisting motion. She felt the way his heartbeat changed, the way his eyes narrow as he smiled. The face which she knew so well. The scent which calmed her. The lips which kissed away such sorrow after they had survived the sinking of the Titanic.

New York was cold. Summer felt so far away and yet as the wet spring continued, so did their love.


End file.
